For NASCAR, is this rock bottom? Hope so

First, ABC cut away from Sunday’s Sprint Cup race with some 30 laps to go so it could air “American’s Funniest Videos” uninterrupted. I’m sure glad we didn’t miss any of that. NASCAR is really catching hell for this and it’s well deserved. They can say this and that about contracts and schedules and what not, but the fact is they just dumped big-time on the viewer (especially those who don’t have access to cable channels). There’s no excuse. Period.

Second, the automobile industry is going down the drain, leaving many questions as to how this will affect NASCAR. No real answers yet, but it can’t be good news.

Third, the Chase for the Cup has been more or less a bust this year. I guess if Jimmie Johnson blows his engine early in Sunday’s race at Homstead and finishes last, that would add some drama to the points race, but assuming that doesn’t happen, it’s pretty ho-hum. All he has to do is finish 36th or better to wrap up the title.

Fourth, the economy. NASCAR chairman Brian France announced this week that 90 percent of the Sprint Cup teams have sponsorship for next season. Bull. Ninty percent of them didn’t have full sponsorships for this past season and I can’t believe things will be better in ’09. And, for anyone watching any of the races on TV the last few weeks, you couldn’t help but see a lot of empty seats in the grandstands. That’s really unusual. Is it the economy, or the racing, or what?
More questions to be answered.

And this is suppose to be the third biggest sport in America (behind the NFL and Major League Baseball). It sure doesn’t seem like it.